


Lady In Love

by SnowWhiteKnight



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Talking Animals, F/M, POV - Lady, POV - Stranger, Winterfell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-15 03:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9216803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowWhiteKnight/pseuds/SnowWhiteKnight
Summary: LJ SanSan Fest, Dec 2015 - AU in which the direwolves can talk - and they root for Sandor.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maracuya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maracuya/gifts).



> Bonus if the body scent of different people comes up (and Nymeria is totally blunt about it). Even better: mute Ghost blinks in Westerosi morse code or uses tail language or something. And since the wolves are adolescents at the time being, they organise pranks on Joff, so Eddard finds out at once what a shit the prince is. Extra Bonus if Lady is as starry-eyed about Sandor as Sansa is about Joff in canon.How do the humans react?
> 
> Additional Notes: I didn't do the pranks. I was going to, but then...didn't. :(  
> Lysa does not send the note to Catelyn, and the Walkers are not rising.  
> Sansa is age 16 in this. Oh, and ALL animals can talk, they just usually don't talk to humans all that much? Idk, but they really only talk when they feel like it.
> 
> ^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^
> 
> So...I did this...because it was funny. Pretty much. And I kept thinking about it. Like, a lot.  
> Also, all the prompts I picked up from the LJ SanSan Fest 2015 were apparently submitted by Maracuya? Ha ha, what are the odds...I only found out fairly recently.
> 
> Thanks to Sassyeggs for helping me on this one!

“Move! I can’t see,” the younger sister snarled.

“You move, you’re blocking Lady’s view,” the eldest brother said in return. The smallest direwolf, Lady, whimpered sadly.

“I’m bored. Let’s go play,” the youngest brother said.

“No, we’re not even supposed to be here. The king is supposed to be here at any second. It will be fantastic,” the second youngest brother said. “All the knights and their horses, it will be so grand!”

Blink. Blinkblink. Blink. Blink. Blink.

“Yes, yes,” Grey Wind said, to the white furred, red-eyed brother. He was the only one who understood Ghost’s blinking language. “Ghost says we should go to the forest area with the red tree. Where our bipeds _expect_ us to be.” He turned to the white wolf. “But this is interesting! Robb and the other two have been talking about this for weeks. I want to see what all the hubbub is about.”

“Move!” Nymeria snarled, pushing her elder brothers out of the way. They were all huddled behind a small hut, their bipeds and their bipeds’ sires were standing in a row, the other bipeds that lived in the giant stone burrow the bipeds called _Winterfell_ were standing behind them. Shaggydog barreled his way through, while Lady and their unnamed brother stood to the side. Well, No Name stood. Lady was laying on the ground, a scared, quivering ball of beautifully brushed fur.

“I miss Sansa. This mud smells. I'm getting _dirty,”_ Lady complained quietly. Only No Name heard her, and nuzzled his sister.

“Shut up, all of you! They're here!” Nymeria said, her tail wagging with excitement and hitting Ghost in the face. He gave her a disgruntled look which was soundly ignored.

They watched as the procession marched into the yard. Lady whimpered, not liking how many horses were there. The bipeds weren't particularly impressive, except the exceptionally fat one and…

“Look at that one! He's like us!” Shaggy said, his tail thumping loudly. The biped was taller than anyone else, except maybe Hodor. His head was shaped like theirs, a long muzzle and pointed ears atop his head.

“Don't be stupid,” Nymeria admonished him. “It's just that icky tasting protective clothing the bipeds wear. I think it's called a helm.”

“Still! He sort of has this canine smell to him, like our bipeds. Don't you think?” Shaggy asked. The scents of the humans were floating downwind to them. The fat one smelled of stag, feasts and wine. The skinny one with long yellow fur and a pinched mouth smelled of cat piss and cloying flowers. The male version of her that stood beside her smelled of cat and sugar, and was more pleasant to their noses. Their offspring, three of them, smelled a little odd. The two younger ones were more like the sire, sugary kittens. The elder one was more like the dam, but the cat piss smell also had feces and vomit scent mixed in. The fat stag walked off with their alpha, who smelled of wolf, snow and low burning embers.

The one with the canine scent, however… “He smells of the forest covered in snow, like the godswood,” Lady said, her voice a bit dreamy as they watched him open the helm. His face was damaged, but the direwolves only nodded sagely. He dismounted his horse with surprising grace.

“He's a survivor,” Nymeria said.

“A fighter, by the looks of it,” added Grey Wind.

“He could teach our bipeds a thing or two,” No Name said. “I love them to pieces but I wonder if their sire and dam are teaching them what they _really_ need to know.”

“He looks like he can play with us and we don't have to hold back!” Shaggy was forever worried about harming his little biped by accident.

Blink. Blink. Blink blink. Blink blink blink. Blink.

“Ghost is asking where Lady went.” They looked around but their tiny sister was nowhere to be seen.

**********

Stranger snorted at the furry little head that peeked around the corner of his stall. His master was brushing his coat, but little one didn't escape the master’s notice.

“Looks like a lost wolf pup,” he said, more to himself than to Stranger or the pup.

“Lady! What are you doing in here? Come, we have guests to see to,” said a soft voice. The pup whimpered and ran into the stall, hiding behind the master’s legs.

A girl followed the pup, but stopped short when she saw someone other than Stranger occupied it. She looked down, avoiding looking at the master. _Like all the others._ Stranger was disappointed. She was a pretty one, for a human, and he had had the notion that she might do for his master. Obviously, his usually spot on instincts had been far off the mark. “What's the matter, girl? Can't suffer to look at my ugly face?” The master wasn't as angry as usual. The ride must have tired him out, rid him of his excess energy.

“Oh, forgive me, Ser. I didn't realize… Lady, come. You're disturbing him.” The girl knelt and extended her hand to the little wolf.

“Noooooo…” the little wolf whined. “I _love_ him. He smells of home. Can I please stay with him? Just for a little while?”

The girl was shocked. Stranger surmised that the pup usually followed her mistress’s commands. “Mother wants us to escort the princes and princess around Winterfell. We cannot impose on the Ser,” the girl explained patiently.

“Not a ser, girl. Going to be following the prince for that castle tour. She can stay if she wants, long as Stranger here is fine with it. I'll bring her back to you shortly.” The master looked down at the little wolf. She was looking up at him with starry eyes. Stranger lowered his head and the little wolf came closer to him, allowing him to sniff at her.

“She's alright,” Stranger said. “I want her to stay.” The starry eyes were turned to Stranger and he accepted her affectionate lick to the side of his face.

“Well, I suppose… but I should stay with her,” the girl said. “Father wants us to be responsible, and asking you to take that responsibility wouldn't be right.” She looked up at the master with trepidation. “If that's alright with you?”

“It's fine. Just don't get underfoot,” the master snarled and the girl squeaked in fright but only backed up a step. Stranger snapped his teeth at him, earning him a scowl. _At least he isn’t drunk and full of energy. He’d send her running for the hills if he was._ He seemed annoyed, though Stranger wasn't sure why. The girl could have just left, but she didn't. She was genuinely concerned about her wolf being a bother, and of being a good human to said wolf.

 _She's a nurturing type,_ Stranger realized. Just what his master needed. She was clearly scared of his master, but was being brave for the little wolf’s sake. His opinion of her went up a little. She had pulled a little milking stool over to the stall to sit on and was watching the master with wary interest.

“Why do you brush him?” she asked after a while.

“You don't know about caring for horses?” the master said with a bit of disdain. Stranger chuffed at his master, his meaning clear. _Don't be rude._ The master glared back at Stranger.

“I'm not much of a rider,” she said quietly.

“Why not?” Stranger asked. He was curious. She seemed to like animals well enough.

Her voice dropped even lower in volume. Stranger had to strain to hear her words. “Everyone thinks it's because I don't want to get dirty, but… I'm scared of being so high up. All of the horses are very kind to me, but I can’t seem to get over my fear.”

The master paused. His hearing was even better than Stranger’s sometimes. “Grooming should be done as part of your routine horse care,” he said, resuming his brushing. “It has benefits for you and your horse – it helps to keep you fit and it is good for your horse’s skin. Basic grooming involves brushing the whole of the body in the direction of the hair growth to remove mud and dust, picking out the feet and tidying the mane and tail with a brush. As well as making sure that your horse does not have any dirt or grit on them that would cause a rub from tack while being worked. It gives you chance to look over your horse for any injuries or indeed anything unusual such as lumps, bumps etc. That's why I brush him. That, and he can't stand other humans besides me.” Stranger looked over at the girl. She was listening with rapt attention. The master looked at her as well, and saw she was hanging onto his every word. “Do you want to try? Just a little bit, and only if he agrees.”

She looked back to Stranger, who nodded. The master handed her a brush when she stood next to him, and showed her how to use it correctly. She was good at it, and Stranger felt at ease with the two humans, even if the girl was still nervous. The little wolf was happily sitting in between Stranger’s front hooves. She beckoned him to come closer, and she whispered in his ear. “I think your biped and my biped would be good together, don't you agree?”

“Maybe,” he whispered back. “Let's see how it goes.” The little wolf grinned at him and licked his nose happily.

**********

The other direwolf pups came charging into the stable, looking for their wayward sister and her biped. Upon finding them with the canine biped, Nymeria and Shaggy went wild with excitement, while Grey Wind, Ghost and No Name sat back, happy with the way the eldest female biped was getting along with the canine biped. Now if only their own bipeds could get along with him.

They left the stable with the two bipeds, romping around them and chasing each other, though Lady stayed close to them, getting just enough underfoot to make them stumble into each other. She was so pleased to see that her mistress was blushing bright red after the master helped her, their bare hands touching.

“I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into Lady today,” her mistress said after the fourth time. “She's usually much more graceful.”

“S’alright. Wolves and dogs are a lot alike. She's still growing, might have some days that she's as gracefully as yourself. Other days, she'll be as graceful as a sack of potatoes rolling down a cliff.” Lady jumped on the excuse and used the moment to knock him into her mistress. More hand touching and blushing, success! “And she's excited in general.”

“I've never seen her take to someone so quickly,” her mistress said. “She's usually scared or upset easily by others. If she does warm to them, it takes a while.” She was speaking softly to the large man, still nervous, but she didn't seem as afraid as she had been initially. Stranger had told her briefly of the master, promising to tell her more if she visited him later. He was a loner, no friends, though most animals liked him. He had a clear interest in Lady’s mistress, but likely did not expect anything to come of it.

“Dog, where the hell have you been?” a shrill voice called out. The master stopped short, his demeanor changing to one of cold indifference. The cat piss boy strode forward.

“Tending to Stranger,” he said in a low voice. Lady thought she heard him mutter, “Like I told you I would be.”

“Lady Sansa, you look ravishingly beautiful,” Cat Piss Fecal Vomit said. Lady felt a little ill when her mistress smiled shyly at Cat Piss Fecal Vomit. _No! He's no good! The master is clearly superior._

Lady walked at the master's side as her mistress and her siblings showed Cat Piss Fecal Vomit and _his_ siblings around the burrow. Robb and Grey Wind were leading hem, though the female sugar kitten was looking at Robb the way Lady wanted her mistress to look at the master. Shaggy, Rickon, Nymeria and Arya had disappeared shortly after the walk started. Jon wasn't allowed near the “royals”, so Ghost had stayed with him and their alpha. Bran and No Name disappeared around the tower Bran liked to climb.

Lady rubbed her scent on the master, just to make sure all the others knew she was claiming him for her mistress. He misunderstood and reached down to pet her, thinking that must have been what she wanted. She did enjoy it and licked his face when he knelt down to scratch under her muzzle.

“Looks like your bitch has taken to my dog. Maybe we should breed them?” Cat Piss Fecal Vomit said with a laugh. Lady looked at him curiously, while Sansa frowned. She didn’t like it when people called others derogatory things. _And he meant it to be mean. Even I could tell._

“Are you unlearned?” Lady asked him. “I cannot breed with a human, even as fine an example of a male human as this one is.”

The group around them chuckled and giggled. Only Cat Piss Fecal Vomit didn't. He glared at her, his emerald eyes glittering with something Lady had never seen before. He was angry, yes, but there was something else. Something _bad._ She began to shiver under his gaze and retreated behind the master’s solid form.

Sansa hurried to Lady's side, apologizing for Lady upsetting the prince and trying to soothe her. Robb led the others away, leaving Lady with the master and her mistress. Grey Wind looked back, and then left Robb’s side to join his sister.

“He's a bad person,” Lady told her brother. “Did you feel it?” He nodded. “I'm scared.”

“You're always scared,” he said, licking her muzzle. “This time it's justified.”

“He's not going to forget this slight, little wolf,” the master told her quietly. He had gotten to his feet and Sansa looked up at him.

“What? No, surely he realizes she didn't understand his...his joke, poor though it was.” She sounded doubtful. “He's a prince. He's supposed to be a shining example of how we should all be.”

The master snorted. “As you say. Chittering on like one of those blasted birds from the Summer Isles. But I would keep the little wolf close, if I were you, little summer bird,” the master sneered at her mistress. He walked away angrily, leaving Lady to think about his words. Before he got too far, he turned and said, “Stranger likes having your company, little wolf. And the prince doesn't care for him much.”

She barked happily. _Stranger can be a refuge, should I need it. The master is so kind to tell me!_ Lady swooned a little as she watched him follow the other bipeds.

She looked up to find Sansa watching the master as well. “He's telling the truth,” she told her mistress. “He thinks Cat Piss Fecal Vomit is going to try to do something to me.”

Sansa looked at her sharply. “You mean Prince Joffrey?” She was forever trying to get Lady to refer to people by their actual names and not the ones the four-legged pack came up with. From what Lady understood, the names were generally not complimentary, but the wolves argued that they were _accurate,_ which is much more important.

“He smells horrible,” Grey Wind said. “Like all the bad parts of a cat.”

“I...I'm sure it will be alright,” Sansa said, but Lady could hear she didn't have the same faith she was trying to portray.

**********

She slept many afternoons away in Stranger’s stall, whom she loved nearly as much as the master. The master often followed Cat Piss Fecal Vomit and the mistress, leaving Lady time to visit with the great black horse. The moon had become full, dwindled and was full again in the time the cats and stag had been visiting. Lady and the other direwolves only put up with it for the master’s sake, carefully spending time around him, but only when Cat Piss Fecal Vomit wasn’t around. The master was aware of this, and did his best, considering he was in charge of Cat Piss Fecal Vomit’s safety. Lady and Sansa would spend time with him and Stranger in the stable usually. He was hesitant about spending time with them, but he never sent her or Lady away, and over time, he began to relax.

When it was just Stranger and her, he would tell her of his time with the master. He told her of how angry the master usually was, that the first meeting had been an unusual occurrence. “His energy was low, after a hard ride to get here,” Stranger noted. “Would have gone very differently if he had been his usual self.”

“Do you think they would make a bad match then?” Lady asked. She had such high hopes for them, but if Stranger said it was useless, she would trust him.

“I think she could help calm him, and keep him from being the worst version of himself, which is his usual way.” Stranger chewed on his hay thoughtfully. “He's not a bad human. He just doesn't fit in most places.”

“Is he a good hunter? My mistress needs to be provided for. She's terrible at hunting! She could probably help after to prepare the meal, but the actual hunting part is out.”

“I haven't seen him hunt, not in the time I’ve been with him, though I believe he is able to. I think I heard that the sweaty fat one is organizing a hunt soon, so I suppose that will answer your question. He is good at finding shelter, so she would never have to worry about that. He's not good at the whole ‘being human’ thing, I think. He would have been better off being born as an animal like us instead of a human.”

“I will accompany him on the hunt. Make sure he's up to par,” Lady decided.

**********

“Get him!” they all heard shrieked from across the yard.

The other direwolves and Lady turned towards the cat piss queen’s voice in time to see No Name streak across, the sweet-scented cat man was running after him, half dressed.

No Name dove behind Grey Wind and Ghost, just as the fat stag and their alpha came outside. “What's the meaning of this?” their alpha demanded as the cat man tried to grab No Name, but stopped when the direwolves growled at him in unison.

“Just a bit of a misunderstanding,” the cat man said.

“He's lying! He was going to silence me for good!” No Name shouted. He was quivering and his tail was tucked between his legs. “I could feel his bloodlust as he chased me out of the tower.”

“Tower?” their alpha asked. No Name nodded.

“The old tower that Bran likes to climb. He was climbing earlier and I had a bad feeling, so I raced up to the top using the old stairs. I saw the cats mating and then the piss scented cat started yelling at me. The sweet scented cat pulled up his outer fur and started chasing me, intending to kill me, so I ran to my pack.”

The fat stag’s mouth dropped open. “Mating? Those two?” he asked, pointing to the two cats.

No Name nodded and the two cats huddled closer together. “Yes. I suspect they were trying for a fourth kitten, since the female is in heat.”

The fat stag’s face was turning red as his fist closed tightly, _“Fourth!?”_

“Robert, calm down,” their alpha said, stepping in front of the fat stag. The canine man, Sansa, Cat Piss Fecal Vomit, and the other two kittens walked into the yard, the third cat man, a runt, was with them. Lady joined them and stayed on the other side of her master. The runt cat smelled the same as the sweet scented cat, but with a dash of clove, much like Ghost’s biped. “Don't do anything rash.” He turned to No Name, “Are you sure?”

“We're all sure,” Grey Wind told him. “The three yellow furred kittens are the offspring of those two cats,” he pointed with his muzzle to the kittens and the adult cats. “Ask the horses. Their sense of smell is almost as good as ours. Or go get the kennel dogs. They'll all tell you the same thing.”

Their alpha and the fat stag looked to the horses, who confirmed what the wolf pups had said.

“You whore!” the fat stag roared, but the alpha kept him from attacking the cats.

The kittens and two adult cats were taken away and locked inside the giant burrow. Cat Piss Fecal Vomit screamed the entire time, cursing the direwolves and calling them liars. The runt cat was detained for a little while, but the alpha let him go, along with the sweet smelling kittens. Cat Piss Fecal Vomit had ordered the canine man to kill them all, starting with the redheaded wolf bitch, and was being kept locked up because of his threats. Lady was pleased to see that her master hadn’t even considered following the order.

The hunt was called off, until the matter could be settled.

**********

Lady was nestled in Stranger’s stall, deep in slumber, when the master came in. “Wake up, you black demon, need to go to Winter Town.”

“Bugger off, sleeping,” Stranger said, biting at the master’s hand. He grumbled as the master started to saddle him. “What's so important in Winter Town?”

“Only place in this wasteland with a brothel,” he said.

“What's a brothel?” Lady asked, leaving her cozy spot and startling the master. If Stranger was going to be gone, she was going to go sleep in the master’s bed. He didn't let her in when he was there, but she loved to be surrounded in his scent. The only thing that would make it better was if Sansa’s scent was there, too. Her mistress smelled of snow and wolf, much like her sire, with a small hint of that blue flower that grew in the warm plant kennels.

“Little wolf… Didn't see you there.” He hesitated then said, “You don't need to know what that is. Run along to your mistress.”

Lady yawned, blinking her eyes blearily. “Alright. I'll ask Sansa what it is.”

She started for the door but a large hand on her back stopped her. “Ah, you don't need to tell her about... that,” he said quickly.

“He needs a female to mate with, but he doesn't want the mistress to know,” Stranger explained. The master snarled at him, but the horse ignored the master.

“To mate? Then why don't you ask my mistress!” Lady squealed, suddenly very awake. “She is a wolf, and wolves mate for life!”

“I can't ask her that, little wolf,” the master said, but she could smell the change in him.  

“But you want to! I can smell it,” she said. “You want her as a mate!”

The master turned bright red. “That's not… that's not really… possible…”

“Why not? She would take it seriously. She goes into heat when you're around. Not a full heat, but enough of one that she would welcome you.” Lady tilted her head at him. “Is that not enough?”

The master looked down at her in slight shock. “She does?” Lady nodded to him. “I will...keep that in mind.”

She and Stranger watched him leave the stable. “Should I have not told him?” she asked the horse. “He seemed... confused.”

“It will be fine,” he said.

“The master won't be pleased, since that one is considered _lesser_ than the others,” another horse said, the one her alpha usually rode. “But he would be wise to choose that human as a mate for the first female offspring. He's a fighter, and would be an excellent addition to the pack.”

Lady and the other horses around agreed wholeheartedly.

**********

“Sire of our bipeds,” Lady said to her alpha. “May we speak to you?”

Her alpha looked at her in surprise, but nodded, and all the direwolves followed him to the small kennel that he used to speak to other bipeds. Sansa had told her it was called a sole-ar, but that didn't make sense.

He closed the door once everyone was inside. “Is something the matter?” he asked them.

They all looked to Lady to speak, since the issue concerned her biped most directly. Timidly, she stepped forward and said, “I… I would like to request…” Nym nuzzled her flank in support. “A mate for Sansa…”

Her alpha’s brows went up. “She is a bit young for a...a mate, as you say,” he said kindly. He sat down on the floor and scratched behind her ear. “Are you concerned because she was nearly betrothed to Joffrey? He has been locked up for a little more than a month now, and will soon be sent to the Wall with his true father.”

“Joffrey?” she asked.

Ghost blinked out a message and Grey Wind translated. “He means Cat Piss Fecal Vomit.” Their alpha frowned but did not chastise or correct them.

“Oh, yes. Him. He was never right for her,” Lady said. “But I have found a much better candidate. Sansa will be much better off with the master, the canine man.”

“Canine… you mean the Hound? Sandor Clegane?” their alpha asked. “Tall, scarred man that wears a dog helm?”

“Yes! Him! He is a much better choice for her! We have been watching him, evaluating him these past few moons, and we all find him superior to any other biped, an… an… ‘excellent addition to the pack’,” she said, repeating the words her alpha’s horse had said. Her litter mates nodded in agreement.

“He is strong!” Shaggy said. “He can play with us without getting hurt.”

“He’s brave,” Nym said. “He fears no other biped, no matter the numbers against him.”

“Protective as well,” Grey Wind translated for Ghost. “He made sure Cat Piss Fecal Vomit did not hurt the other two sugar kittens, or any of our biped wolves.”

“He's smart, and a good hunter. I saw him five suns ago in the forest,” No Name chimed in. “And in the yard, fighting the others in the pack. Bran could learn to be the best warrior from him!”

“He is also gentle,” Lady said. “And kind. So very kind. And he smells of the North. He smells like home.” She lay her head in their alpha’s lap. “Sansa likes him, too. He makes her feel safe. She will be pleased to have him.”

“Hmmm…” their alpha said. “I will need to consider everything you've said. And I will speak to Sansa and Clegane as well.”

Lady thumped her tail in excitement. _The master and Sansa!!_

**********

Lady watched with excitement as her alpha approached the master. The fat stag was off mating with some of the female bipeds in the kitchen, having decided to stay so that he could try to convince her alpha to return to wherever it was the fat stag was from to be his hand. Which made no sense to Lady, since the fat stag _had_ two hands, why would he need a third? But Sansa had explained that “hand” was a title, like “alpha” or “lord”, and that it was a very important job, but it would require him to leave the burrow. Before that happened, he would get to know the man the direwolves approved of.

“The king is now arguing that he will need to marry again. I feared that he might ask Father for my hand, but he is looking to the Southron houses,” Sansa told the master one day in the godswood. The alpha and the master had been sitting and talking as had become their custom, but Sansa had brought him a message from her dam, and now they were alone, save for Lady, who had her head in the master’s lap and was getting scratches behind her ears. “Father has already sent out notices on the king's behalf, so many ladies will likely be in court by the time the king returns.”

“You are upset about this?” the master asked her.

“A little, but because I wish to see it. Father is considering saying no to the King. I hope to visit King’s Landing someday. It sounds so wonderful.”

The master snorted. “It smells of shit. Ah, but you would enjoy the court I think, pretty little bird among all that pageantry.” He looked sad, so Lady licked his free hand.

“You do not enjoy being at court?”

“Not exactly the friendliest place. Many nobles would sooner stab you in the back and lie to your face, than actually be kind.” He looked at Sansa. “You're too gentle to belong in that pit of vipers, little bird.”

“But you would be there…” she said softly. “You would keep me safe from the vipers, wouldn't you?”

The master looked at Sansa in such a soft way, that Lady thought her heart might just burst from happiness. “Suppose I could.”

“What are you going to do? Now that you are no longer Joffrey's shield? Will you serve the king? Lord Tyrion, perhaps?”

“The Imp is not my liege lord. Not until his father dies, anyway… Though I suppose I’ll stay with him. In the time that I’ve known him, he does tend to get himself into trouble.”

“What if… What if you stayed here?” she asked. “I… I mean… you seem to get along with most of our household. The direwolves like you. All of my siblings as well. My brothers look to you for instruction in the training yard, Ser Rodrick had warmed to you… somewhat…” The master laughed at that.

“I'll consider it, little bird.”

**********

Their alpha’s mate was against the idea. “He's a brute! A trained killer for the Lannisters! No better than his brother,” Lady heard her say. She and Nym had snuck over to their sleeping area to listen in. Nym was very good at sneaking and Lady just wanted to know if Sansa’s dam would approve. She smelled of the river usually, but when she was upset, she took on a slight fish scent, like a freshly caught trout.

“He’s a warrior, same as me, same as Robert. The direwolves have approved of him--”

“He’s a second son of a minor house! Sansa could do so much better.”

“I plan on making him a lord, if Sansa wishes to have him. He has more good qualities than bad, especially now that he is no longer under Lannister influence. He could be a great asset to our house.”

“He would murder us all to become Warden of the North!” she shrieked.

“He wouldn't,” the alpha said calmly. “He's not like that.”

“You don't know him! The man has barely been here three months, him and the rest of the king's party, eating us out of house and home…”

“Cat, he is not who you think he is. If Sansa finds the match acceptable, then I am making it.”

The conversation stopped, though Sansa's dam kept muttering to herself.

**********

“Do you want the master as your mate?” Lady asked Sansa that night.

“Wha-- Lady! Th-That is a very improper question!” Sansa sputtered. “Why would you ask such a thing? San-- Clegane is too far below my station to make a match possible.”

Lady smelled the change in her mistress, and silently cheered. “But if it were possible?”

Sansa went to her window and stared intently out into the darkness. “If it were possible...which it isn't… then, yes, I would be agreeable to it. But it isn't possible,” she said, turning back to Lady. “I know you want it to be, don't think I haven't noticed, but the reality of this world is that I will likely be wed to a great lord. As much as I find Sandor to be more than acceptable as a potential suitor, I cannot raise my hopes only to have them dashed later.”

Lady tilted her head, wondering if she should tell Sansa what her sire was considering. “I think...I think it’s ok to have a bit of hope,” she told her. “You want him as your mate, I can tell. And he wants you. So...you _should_ be mates.”

Sansa smiled sweetly at her and hugged Lady. “It’s more complicated than that, dear Lady. I wish it wasn’t, but it is.”

“Bipeds make things more complicated than they should be.”

Sansa laughed. “That is very true.”

**********

“Little bird,” the master said, nodding his head in greeting. “Care for a walk?”

“I would be delighted.” She took his offered arm, a slight blush creeping across her face. Lady cheered mentally.

She rushed over to the alpha, nearly tripping him. “Look!” she whispered to him. “See? They are good together.”

The alpha frowned at her, probably for the near tripping, and then looked over at Lady’s mistress and master. “Yes...I see what you mean,” he murmured.

**********

Lady thought she was about to burst, hopping to and fro around the bipeds, unable to contain her excitement. They were milling about, as the food was being set out on the tables.

“This is your only conditions to accepting the position?” the fat stag asked.

“It is, your grace,” her alpha said. “His liege lord will not be pleased, but…”

“But he will be displeased no matter what. His daughter is no longer queen, and his eldest son is being exiled to the Wall. To top it all off, his most loyal bannerman is leaving his service, being raised in status, and married into a major house of the North, not in the Westerlands. You sure you want the Hound as a goodson?”

Lady barked in protest.

“Settle down, Lady, he’s just making sure. He meant no offense,” her alpha said. He spoke loudly so that everyone could hear the announcement. “Yes, your grace, I am absolutely certain. He will guard my family while I am in King’s Landing. Lord Tyrion has been gracious enough to agree to stay here after he returns from his visit to the Wall, and act as an advisor to Robb, until Robb is old enough to take over as Lord of Winterfell.”

“Best to stay far away from Father when he finds out about Jaime,” the runt cat said. Sansa’s brothers laughed at that.

“Myrcella and Tommen will remain here as wards, while Cersei Lannister and Joffrey Waters will be sent back to Casterly Rock. My brother, Stannis, not Renly, will know of a few of my baseborn children. Until I get my new wife pregnant with a son, my eldest bastard boy will be my heir. Should he be removed as my heir for a trueborn son, he will be named Lord of...well, I’ll find a place for him, and he will bear my name. Jon Snow will be a mentor to my son, seeing as how he probably doesn't even know the king is his father, and Jon has been raised alongside Robb. He will teach him the ways of society, as only a fellow bastard can.” The fat stag chuckled. “Maybe we can betroth my son to your second daughter. How would you like that, little one?”

“Will he let me learn to fight?” Nymeria nodded to her mistress's words.

“Arya…” the dam groaned.

The fat stag laughed loudly at that. The alpha laughed, too, but said, “We’ll see. Tell you what, meet him first, and if he’s up to your standards, we’ll talk about a betrothal then.” Both Arya and the fat stag agreed on that. “Alright, so, in a fortnight, we will depart for King’s Landing. Jon, Arya and Bran will come with me. Robb, Sansa and Rickon will stay here with Lady Stark. Sansa will marry Lord Sandor in a year, when she reaches her seventeenth nameday. He is now a Lord, and they will live in the Wolfswood. I have already contracted builders to begin work on rebuilding the old Blackwood estate there. Tonight, however, we feast and celebrate our time together. To new alliances and to rebuilding old ones.” The alpha raised his water dish (that Shaggy had discovered did _not_ contain water at all) and everyone in the kennel did the same, chanting _Here here!_ Or maybe it was _hear?_ Lady couldn't be sure, and did not care enough to ask. She was just too happy to know that her mistress and master would be joined as mates.

Later that night, she curled up in Stranger’s stall, telling him of how radiant Sansa looked and how not angry the master was, the two animals content to know their bipeds were happy with their interference.

**********

“Move! I can’t see,” Nymeria snarled.

“You move, you’re blocking Lady’s view,” Grey Wind said in return. Lady whimpered sadly. Such was her lot in life.

“I’m bored. Let’s go play,” Shaggydog said.

“No, we’re not even supposed to be here. It's going to start any second. It will be fantastic,” Summer said. He had finally been named. “All the family is here, Starks, Tullys and then there are the all the bannermen, it will be so grand!”

Blink. Blinkblink. Blink. Blink. Blink. Blinkblinkblink.

“Yes, yes,” Grey Wind said to Ghost. “Ghost says we should be in-- Actually, I disagree. We _should_ be here. I don't care what the bipeds say.”

“Move!” Nymeria snarled, pushing her elder brothers out of the way. Stranger snapped at her. “Where did you come from?!”

“I followed you. Don't step on Lady.” He nudged Nymeria out of the way as Lady settled down next to him, no longer able to fit between his hooves. “My master and mistress want you to be here, all of you, even if the Stark dam says no. Between the seven of us, no one will try to get you to leave.”

The direwolves, nearly full grown, were not hidden at all, and noticed their bipeds laughing at them. The Stark dam looked cross, but she always looked cross when Lady’s master was involved. Their alpha had made it back in time, taking a _shii-ep_ from the faraway place to be here and bringing Jon, Arya and Bran with him. They would leave again soon, but for now, the pack was whole.

The ceremony was quiet, the snow muffling most sounds. Sansa had told Lady it would be a short ceremony, with few, yet meaningful, words spoken between the two.

“I take this woman, as my wife and my lady.”

“I take this man, as my husband and my lord.”

Lady thought she would burst from happiness as they kissed. Later on, wanting to give them the privacy most bipeds demanded as her master and mistress mated for the first time, Lady found her way to the stable. Stranger gave her a brief acknowledgement as she bedded down in the stall next to his.

“Best day ever?” he asked.

“Best day ever,” she replied.


End file.
